You'll Always Have Me
by TheLoveOfApples
Summary: SwanQueen. What happens when Emma and Henry go to Boston for an old friends wedding and Regina is attacked by a crazy Snow? Will it bring the two closer or will Emma side with her mother? Takes place about 4 years after 'The Miller's Daughter'. No CS or OQ. Rated M for graphic scenes and language. Happy Ending!
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N: Alright guys, here it is! Now the beginning might be a little hard to figure out, but I'm going to try and explain it the easiest way possible._**

**_After the first paragraph, there's a chunk of the chapter that's in italics. This part is all taking place in Emma's head as she recalls the past. The small amount of sentences that are not in italics and are bolded located in that chunk are Emma's direct thoughts._**

**_But! After that brief trip to the past, when the story is no longer in italics, Emma's direct thoughts will be in italics. Got it? :P_**

**_Let me know what you think, yea?_**

**_Enjoy!_**

* * *

Standing in the middle of the fair, surrounded by the sound of people laughing and the smell of roasted peanuts, her eyes automatically search out and lock onto the brunette who is sitting alone on a bench across from her. A woman who she has shared an exceptionally rocky past with...

_After going through a shit load of crazy over that first year, including breaking the dreaded "curse"_... **Please! These people were lucky Regina took them out of that god-forsaken place, it was horrible there!**..._ and taking an unexpected... _**and VERY unwelcome**... _trip to fairy tale land with her best friend turned mother, things had finally settled down to the better part of civility over the proceeding four years that had led up to this moment._

_Her and Regina had even started to get along, for the most part...you know, when they weren't arguing about things for Henry, or paperwork that Emma hadn't completed, or their sons diet, or...well...basically any other nonsense that they found fit to disagree on. The difference is that these "arguments" had turned into more of a playful banter, similar to that of an old married couple, than the actual fighting that they used to do, back when a few punches had even been thrown. _

_Hell, she had even found herself looking forward to their little pointless quarrels every morning, so much so, that they had eventually became the highlight of her day._

_Everything had started to change after Regina saved her and Mary Margaret_ _from the cursed well by ingesting the death spell her and Gold had placed, which in turn had nearly killed her. But it had given Emma the chance to payback the life debt by helping the brunette get rid of the curse in return._

_Currently though, Emma would even stretch to call the two of them pretty close friends. _

_Not that she would ever admit to that if asked directly, mainly because both her mother and the infamous mayor herself would most definitely kill her - albeit for different reasons - should she ever say anything like that out loud in public._

_Regina likely wouldn't appreciate how weak it would make her appear if it was known that her current best friend also happened to be the same woman who was her arch nemesis' daughter and a person who she had threatened to kill on multiple occasions._

_And then her mother just straight-up hated Regina and would never approve of her daughter "fraternizing" with the brunette in any way that that wasn't absolutely necessary, such as matters about Henry or work._

**Ha!**.. _If only her mother knew how close she truly was to the difficult and bull-headed_...**yet incredible, breathtakingly beautiful**..._mayor. _

_If Mary Margaret were to ever find out about their friendship and how close they really are, she would literally shit bricks, and then proceed to bash Emma in the head with them to "try and make her see reason"._

_Nothing would come from it though, because as much as Emma may love her mother, she held her relationship with Regina just a fraction closer to her heart, and she doubts that she would ever willingly let her go._

...An obnoxious laugh brings her out of her reminiscing and she focuses her attention back on Regina, who is currently presenting a facade of being perfectly content sitting alone.

But Emma has always been able to read this particular woman surprisingly well, no matter how many walls the brunette may have tried to put up.

So, she can see clear as day that the woman is extremely bored and lonely as she sits watching their son move from ride to ride with his friends.

Taking a few calming breathes she moves from where she'd been watching the brunette and she starts to stroll over to the seemingly unsuspecting Mayor, but before she's even able to make it ten feet, she hears her mother call out from the empty booth off to the side of Granny's. "Emma! Sweetie! Would you mind helping me set up the donation center?"

She stops mid-stride. She sighs, turns around, and starts walking over to the short-haired woman instead, shooting one final, longing glance in the direction of the brunette.

As she turns away, she thinks that she sees a flash of what appears to be disappointment and annoyance on her friends face that quite frankly matches her own. But before she can truly read the expression, the stony mask of indifference slips right back into place.

"Hey, what do you need help with?" She asks her mother, a bit of an edge laced in her voice that Snow doesn't seem to pick up on.

"Hey, can you help me unload these boxes while Astrid goes back to the car to grab the rest? We need to get the table set up before it gets too late."

"Yea, sure. But I'm not going to stay and help collect, if that's okay?" she responds while picking up the first box, sneaking another longing glance at Regina as she does.

This look, Snow does notice, and she immediately gets agitated with Emma, though she tries to hide it.

"Oh? Do you..uh..have plans with someone?" She asks as nonchalantly as she can manage while they start to unpack the boxes and set up the booth.

"No, not exactly. I just thought that I'd go hang out with Regina for a little while since she's waiting for Henry all alone." Emma says, picking up on Snows rising temper and predicting that one of her "Regina is evil!" rants is on its way.

_And...Here it comes!_

Right on cue, her mother gives an annoyed sigh before she says "I really wish you would stop spending so much unnecessary time with that witch. She's evil Emma, she hasn't truly changed and she never will! She's just waiting for all of us to let our guard down. But the joke's on her because I never will! She will always be The Evil Queen and neither you nor Henry should be spending any time with her. She hurts people Emma, it's just what she does! It's what she's always done!..."

By this point, Emma's own anger had risen to the point that if it hadn't been her mother saying all of this, she would have already knocked the woman out.

But it is her mother, and as much as she might want to take her anger out physically, she can't.

So she tries to take a few deep breaths to calm down, but that only works up to the part where her mother mentions that Henry should be kept away from Regina.

Once that sentence falls out of Snow's mouth, Emma snaps.

"Stop." She cuts Snow off mid-rant, "With all due respect '_Mom_', I don't really care about your biased, unfair opinions of Regina. I am over thirty years old and I have spent most of my life relying on my own instincts and judgments of people." she says angrily as she glares at her mother.

"And do you want to know what my gut tells me about Regina?...It tells me that that woman over there has been through Hell and back these past years to prove that she has changed and no matter what she does, it never seems to be good enough for you. Well guess what! I believe without a doubt that she has changed. And that she has absolutely no intention, and no desire for that matter, to go back to the way that she was before. So although I appreciate the concern, it is completely misguided and uncalled for. I honestly have no idea why you can't just accept the fact that she has changed?! Hell, even Leroy is friends with her now!"

"So, you seriously need to get your priorities straight, because if you think that there is ANY chance of you continuing to have a relationship with Henry when you talk like this about HIS MOTHER, you are absolutely insane. And if you don't get your shit together soon, you won't just have to worry about losing Henry. You'll have to worry about losing me as well. So get your fucking priorities straightened out and don't bother contacting Henry or I until you do."

With that last statement, she stalks away from Snow and off towards the ally that runs next to Granny's.

When she gets out of view of the street, she slams her fist into the brick wall, breaking a few knuckles in her hand. But she just ignores the throbbing pain because she doesn't really give a shit at the moment as she feels the adrenaline and anger rushing through her.

She rests her head on the wall and doesn't notice that a certain brunette had followed her and is standing behind her in the shadows, until a familiar, smoky voice says "Well...That certainly escalated quickly."

"Regina..." She breathes…_Fuck_… "Um... How much of that did you hear?"

"Well dear, lets just say that your knack for volume control apparently tends to weaken even more than normal as your anger level rises."

"Shit... I'm really sorry. You really didn't need to hear..." Emma starts with a grimace, but Regina interrupts her with a look of utter bewilderment.

"Why on earth are you apologizing to me? You were defending me! Which, as unnecessary as it may be, is also very much appreciated. No one has ever stood up for me to the '_Beloved Snow White_,'" She says the name with a sneer, "like that before, not even Henry. So...I suppose what I am trying to say is... Thank you, it-it means a lot to know that there is someone on my side willing to defend me to even the dullest of ears." She finishes, looking down at the ground and pulling at her fingers.

Emma smiles softly and steps closer to the brunette, lifting the woman's chin up with her uninjured hand, "You're welcome, Regina. And just so you know, I'll always defend you, because everything I said out there is the truth and I believe in you. And anyone who hasn't already realized that, needs to. Besides, if anyone in this town deserves someone on their side, it's you."

Regina returns Emma's smile with a shy one of her own as she looks up at the blonde through her lashes.

…_God this women is beautiful... _Emma thinks to herself as she stares into chocolate eyes that are darkening by the second.

Regina reaches out for Emma's other hand and starts to intertwine their fingers, but the moment is quickly shattered when Emma gasps in pain as Regina jolts her broken bones.

"Ow! Shit! I forgot about that... Do you think that you could... maybe um... fix it for me?... I'd rather not have to explain all of this to Henry and I would... uh... do it myself, but, um, I haven't really practiced broken bones yet.." She asks the brunette with a sheepish grin as she extends her broken hand towards the women.

"Well that all depends, dear, I thought that I was forbidden from using my magic?" The mayor replies with a raised eyebrow that perfectly matches the smirk on her face as she gently grabs Emma's hand.

"Well, lets just say that I won't say anything if you don't. Besides, that was a stupid rule that Snow put in place years ago, and frankly, I couldn't really care less about her opinions right now. If it were up to me you could use magic for whatever and whenever you want. So don't ever worry about using it around me. I trust you."

At this, Regina raises both of her eyebrows and mutters, "You are just full of surprises today, Emma Swan" before she cups her hands around Emma's injured one and closes her eyes to fully concentrate on healing the broken bones.

A purple glow surrounds their hands and when it dissipates, Regina gives Emma's hand one last, small squeeze before removing her own and taking a small step back.

When she looks back at Emma, her mask is already back into place, and she snarks, "Do try and refrain from punching brick walls from now on, Miss Swan. I may not always be there to heal the results of your idiocy", which would have upset Emma if she hadn't seen a sly sparkle in the brunettes eyes that hadn't been there before.

"Have a good night, my dear." Regina says before walking away.

Emma just smiles and shakes her head as she watches the mayor walk out of the ally, back in the direction of the bench that she had previously been occupying.

_If I didn't know any better, I'd swear that there's an extra sway to her hips, like she knows I'm watching and she's enjoying teasing me._

When she finishes admiring Regina's ass, she follows the brunette back out onto the street, where she hears the last person that she wants to talk to call out her name.

_Oh joy! Just who I want to see!_

She pauses and turns around as her mother wearily approaches her. "I REALLY don't want to talk to you Snow."

Her mother flinches at the informal use of her name but continues to speak, "Emma, sweetie, I..."

But Emma holds up her hand and says, "Seriously Snow. If you keep talking I might not be able to keep a hold of my temper and I'll say or do something that I might later regret. So please, just stop. You know that Henry and I are leaving for Boston tomorrow.." her mother nods her head yes, "..well, we'll be there for the extended weekend and if I've calmed down enough by the time we get back, maybe we can talk, but until then, please! Just leave me alone."

_Where can I find some fucking alcohol around here?_

Without waiting for an answer, she stalks off in the direction of Granny's booth where she plans on having Ruby make her a very, _very_ stiff drink.

With her focus set on making her way to Ruby, she doesn't notice the murderous rage forming in Snow's eyes as the short-haired woman spots Regina sitting on her bench with a small, satisfied smirk on her lips as she watches Emma walk away from her mother.

It's that slight tilt of her lips that throws Snow's anger over the edge, and she storms over to the brunette.

When Emma makes it to Ruby she orders a double shot of whiskey and a very stiff Jack and coke.

Ruby has the shot ready for her in a matter of seconds and as soon as it's within her reach, she downs it and puts the empty glass back onto the counter.

_Goddamn controlling parents._

She lays her head down on top of her arms as she waits for her second drink, and in the 20 seconds that it takes Ruby to finish it, all Hell starts to break loose across the street between her mother and Regina.

Ruby's enhanced sense of hearing picks up on Snow's raised voice and she quickly nudges the blonde and says "Um... Emma... I think we might have a problem..." as she points towards the confrontation across the street.

Emma has just enough time to lift up her head and turn around to see Snow punch Regina in the face as screams "Liar! What the hell have you done to my daughter?!"

_What the...Oh, you have got to be FUCKING kidding me!_

She can see the barley-restrained fire in Regina's eyes all the way from where she's standing, and for half a second, she contemplates just letting Regina teach Snow a lesson.

But as much as she would enjoy watching that, she knows how hard her friend has worked to try and redeem herself, and hurting the other Queen in front of the whole town may not exactly win her any favors. _Although, by the look of some of these people's faces, they may very well be on Regina's side._

But she doesn't want to risk it, so she runs over to the two to try and prevent total chaos from erupting.

Henry, who had been drawn in by the gathering crowd of people, also sees his grandmother punch his mother, and he flings out his hands, creating a vise-like force around Snow, which prevents her from moving and hurting his mother even more.

Once he's sure she's secured, he rushes over to his mom's side, thankful that his mom's had been secretly teaching him how to control his own magic.

Meanwhile, Regina reaches up to touch her cheekbone and when she feels blood on her fingertips, she starts to advance on Snow with a murderous glare.

"I have absolutely no idea WHAT you are talking about you little halfwit! I have done nothing to Emma, nor do I ever plan to! Why would I ever risk losing one of the only people in this town who believes in me and who I actually truly care about?!"

Emma reaches the two in time to hear what Regina says, and to see her mother struggling against her sons' magical restraints as she fails to come up with a retort. She can barely mask her glee from hearing Regina's last sentence. _Did I just hear her right?! She called me Emma, and she cares about me! Yea, she definitely just said that she cares about me! Hell yea she does! Score one for Emma!_

Emma quickly moves on from her little moment of happiness as she glances back at Regina. Her anger crashes back down on her as she sees the blood starting to run down the brunettes face.

She walks over and gently cups Regina's uninjured cheek as she examines the damage.

"Hey, are you okay?" She quietly asks, and the brunette nods before Emma lightly glides her finger over top of the cut and bruise. She closes her eyes and concentrates on healing... _Focus Swan, you can do this..._ After a few seconds, she manages to focus enough to tap into her magic and heal the injury her own mother had inflicted.

When she's sure that Regina's face is as perfect as ever, she lowers her finger.

"Thank you, dear." The brunette whispers with a smile as she rests her own hand on top of the one that Emma still has against her cheek. She quickly intertwines their fingers and gives the pale hand a gentle squeeze before letting go and turning back towards Snow, shooting her a dagger like glare.

Emma also turns to her mother, a fire of her own churning back to life in her emerald eyes.

"I don't know what the HELL is wrong with you Snow, but that was the last fucking straw! I'm placing you under arrest for assault and public disturbance and you're going to spend at least the weekend, if not longer, in jail to ponder the choices you've been making."

Snow lets out a frustrated scream as she witnesses the friendly exchange between her daughter and arch nemesis and hears Emma's venom filled voice. "Regina! What the hell have you done to my family to turn them against me?!"

Emma reaches through her sons restraining field and pulls Snows arms behind her back while simultaneously reaching for her handcuffs and handing her mother off to Ruby, who works part time as a loyal deputy, and who also happens to be a bigsupporter of what's she's proudly labeled as 'SwanQueen.'

Regina stalks toward Snow and gets right up in her face.

As everyone tenses, all that she says is, "Snow. As I have just told you, I have done absolutely nothing to your daughter nor have I done anything to my son. You, my dear, are simply pushing them away yourself."

She turns and respectfully nods to Ruby, "Miss Lucas", which the wolf responds with an equally respectful nod of her own, "Madame Mayor."

"Henry, would you like to stay and ride some more rides?" She asks her son as she turns back around to him.

He shakes his head no, while shooting his own - very Regina-like - glare at his grandmother and holds out his arm for Regina to place hers through.

"Alright, lets head home then, shall we?" She says as they start to walk away.

But before they get to far, she looks back at Emma with that sparkle yet again in her eyes and she says "Till morning, Miss Swan."

_Oh yea, she definitely likes me. _Emma thinks and gives herself a mental high five. "Goodnight guys, see you tomorrow." She replies before she turns around to face Ruby.

"Rubes, would you mind taking her over to the station and locking her up? I honestly don't trust her to not go after Regina again while I'm away."

"Sure thing boss, no problem!" Ruby replies, automatically switching on her deputy mode, before turning with Snow and heading in the direction of the police station.

"Emma! Honey! You can't be serious! You aren't really going to put me in jail, are you?!" Her mother pleads as Ruby starts to pull her away.

Emma watches them walk away, but before they make it twenty feet, she says, "Wait a second, Ruby"

The two brunettes turn to look at her. Her mother smiling with relief and Ruby shooting her a questioning look.

"Make sure she doesn't have anything in there with her besides a blanket and pillow. You of all people know how resourceful she can be." She says as she stares coldly at her mother. _Is that serious enough for you?_

Snow's hopeful smile falls off her face and Ruby gives her a curt nod before continuing to walk the other brunette to the station.

"Alright people, nothing else to see here, move along!" she hears Granny yell out.

Not trusting that Snow wouldn't find a way out, she sends out a text to all of her deputies, including her father, filling them in on the situation and telling them to take turns keeping guard until she gets back.

With her night ruined and no reason to stay at the fair, she heads back to the small apartment she shares with Henry to try and get some sleep before the drive to Boston in the morning.

* * *

**_A/N: Review and let me know what you thought! :)_**

**_XoXoX - TheLoveOfApples_**


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N: Heyy guys! I just wanted to get this second chapter out while I have time since I move back to school and things are probably going to get a bit hectic over the next few days._**

**_Oh! And I forgot to put in this little thing in the first chapter. Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon A Time or any of its characters. The only things I own are my thoughts and the characters I make up for the story._**

**_So anyway, here it is! Let me know what you think!_**

**_Enjoy!_**

* * *

_**Thursday 8:45 am**_

With her bags packed and nothing else to do, she decides to go ahead and head over to 108 Mifflin earlier than she had originally planned.

As she parks in front of the mansion she decides to just sit in her car and wait a bit before knocking on the door.

She pulls out her phone and starts playing candy crush to pass the time.

She's wasted a good ten minutes before a sharp knock on her slightly-open window makes her jump in her seat and yelp in pain as she drops the steaming cup of coffee she'd been sipping from, directly onto her lap.

"Damn-it Regina! Why do you have to be so God-damn sneaky!" She says to the laughing brunette who is standing alongside her car.

"Maybe if you were attentive to your surroundings instead of playing childish games on your phone, you wouldn't currently have coffee burning your legs. I would think that as Sheriff you would be alert at all times." She says with a smirk set on her red lips as she tries to hold in her laughter, but fails miserably.

Emma shoots her an incredulous look, and that's when she actually registers what Regina is wearing.

_Holy. Fuck._

Her brain short circuits and the witty remark she had been about to say completely disappears from her mind. Her mouth is hangs open slightly and she might even be drooling a little bit at the sight before her eyes.

This is _definitely_ a version of Regina that she had never before seen, at least not outside of her own fantasies.

The brunette is wearing a scandalously short, dark grey, silk night gown that barely reaches her mid-thigh, with a matching robe hanging loosely at her sides.

As Regina watches Emma's appreciative reaction to her carefully chosen attire, her heartbeat starts to race and her stomach flips in apprehension.

She clears her throat, "Do try and close your mouth, dear. You're bound to catch a few flies leaving it hanging open like that."

Emma snaps her mouth shut and blushes a deep crimson as she quickly fumbles through an apology, "Sorry, I, uh, I didn't mean to stare, I just... um... I've never seen you...uh..." She awkwardly clears her throat and decides to just change the subject.

"Is Henry ready yet?"

"Unfortunately no, you are a tab bit early, we did agree to 9:30 did we not?"

"Yea we did, I was just finished early so I thought I'd come wait over here."

"Ah, well he's only just finished showering, which means he won't be downstairs for at least another 15 minutes, and then he still needs to eat breakfast. Would you care to join us, seeing as how it appears that you have run out of coffee?" She says as she casually waves her hand to rid Emma's jeans of the sticky liquid.

"Yeah I would love to, thanks."

"Excellent, follow me then." The brunette smiles widely as she turns around and struts her way back to through the front door, making sure to add an extra sway to her hips for the blonde's benefit.

Emma takes a calming breath before stepping out of the car and following Regina into the house. Her eyes automatically drop down to appreciate this new view of what the mayor is semi-obviously flaunting.

When they reach the kitchen, Regina glances back as she asks "Cream? Sugar?"

Emma's eyes guiltily fly back up to meet the brunette's amused ones, and she nods her head.

_Shit, she totally just caught me staring at her ass._

"What type of cream would you like?" She asks as Emma takes a seat on one of the island stools.

"I'd rather just drink you" she mumbles..._wait, what? Did I just say that out loud did I?_

The Mayor turns around quickly, not believing that she had heard the Sheriff correctly. "I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that?"

"Uh...I said whatever you have is fine." _Shit Swan! Get your mouth under control!_

"Of course" Regina replies, her voice a little huskier than before, she feels a wave of heat assault her lower abdomen.

She grabs the cream from the fridge before placing it on the table in front of the blonde. She then gets a mug and fills it with coffee before carefully walking over to Emma and leaning down to set it on the counter in front of her.

With another flip of her stomach, she watches as emerald eyes roam down to the top of her breasts, which are greatly exposed in the low cut nightgown. As Emma's eyes slowly makes there way back up to her face, Regina can barely differentiate between the green and the black pupils of the eyes in front of her as they darken.

"Sugar?" Regina asks her in a voice so low that it's almost a whisper.

"Please.." Emma whispers back, glancing down at the painted red lips in front of her.

They both slowly lean forward to close those last few inches and just as their lips are about to touch, Henry loudly coughs from the doorway of the kitchen. "Uh.. What's going on guys?"

His two mothers are so startled that they both jump away from each other trying to regain some semblance of space. But Emma pushes back a little too far and her stool starts to tip back before she quickly reaches out and grabs the counter top.

Regina rushes back so fast that her hand accidentally knocks over the fresh cup of coffee and it runs right off of the granite counter and onto Emma's unsuspecting lap.

The blonde yelps for the second time this morning and lets go of the counter to pat at her thighs. Forgetting that her grip on the counter is the only thing preventing her from tipping over, and her stool continues it's previously interrupted fall before she crashes to the floor.

"Ow..Fuck!" She groans from the floor.

"Emma!" Regina yells in a tone that is somehow a mixture of concern and a scold for cursing in front of Henry.

"Regina!" She yells right back, "Seriously?! That's the second time you've split coffee on me today, and I've only been here for 20 freaking minutes!"

Gingerly standing back up, she gives the brunette a look of disbelief.

After a moment of tense silence, Henry starts to laugh so hard that he has to lean over and hold onto his stomach, hardly able to breath.

Emma and Regina both look at him, stunned, before glancing at each other.

As soon as their eyes connect, they too double over laughing at how ridiculous that must have looked.

When everyone calms back down, Emma picks up her stool and sits back down on it while Regina waves her hand, ridding the blonde's pants of coffee yet again.

They all choose to ignore what caused the mess and continue on as if nothing had even happened.

"Henry, sweetie, what would you like for breakfast?" Regina asks as she walks over to the fridge.

"Can I just have a pop-tart? Please? We're already behind schedule." Henry pleads.

His adoptive mother purses her lips before she sighs and says, "I suppose. But only this once!" As she conjures up a pastry for both her son and Emma, along with a fresh cup of coffee in a travel mug with a tight lid for the other woman.

"You two should be getting on your way, you wouldn't want to be late, and you're bound to hit traffic heading into the city." Regina says, walking around the counter to kiss her son's forehead and trying not let her disappointment show. "If you will excuse me, I really should go bathe and get on with my day. I have a long list of things to accomplish. Have a fun weekend, be safe and remember to call me when you can. I love you."

"Alright mom, and I love you too." Henry says as he hugs her side.

"Go on and grab you're bag from upstairs." She says, nudging him in the direction of the hallway.

When he's out of earshot, Emma asks, "What? No goodbye kiss for me?" with a smirk on her lips.

Regina raises an eyebrow and saunters over to the blonde.

She wraps her arms around a pale neck, straddles her lap and leans into her ear, tangling her fingers in the hair on the back of Emma's neck, as she purrs, "I'm sorry Miss Swan, but I need to go fix what you have, yet again, failed to finish."

She chuckles darkly as hears Emma's breath hitch. The feeling of the mayors' fingers in her hair along her hot breath tickling her ear sends a shiver down her spine, and she lets out a groan as her brain processes what the brunette says.

Regina gently nips her ear before sliding herself off of Emma and strutting out of the kitchen, leaving a noticeable trail of moisture down the blondes jean-clad thigh. Before she leaves, she hears the blonde squeak out "Thanks for breakfast."

She stops at the doorway, turns her head back in the direction of the blonde and says, "My pleasure, Dear." before she disappears around the corner and up the stairs.

Emma sucks in a shaky breath and shakes her head before she walks out into the foyer with their food, as Henry comes down the stairs with his bag. She quickly clears her throat before asking, "You ready, kid?"

Her 15-year-old son just stands there, giving her a knowing look before he shakes his own head and says, "Yea, lets get going."

As they walk out of the door, Emma says, "You peed right? Because this isn't a short trip and we can't make more than a few stops if we're going to make it in time to get dressed for the dinner."

"Yep, I'm good!"

"Alrighty then, lets get this party started!" She says as they climb into the car and she pulls out onto the street, heading for the town line.

Neither of them notice the brunette watching them leave from the second story bedroom window as she lets out a longing sigh and disappears back behind the curtains.

* * *

**_11:00 am_**

David stops at Granny's for coffee and takeout before he walks over to the police station to relieve Leroy from "Snow Watch" as the other two have been calling it.

As he walks into the station, he sees his wife siting calmly on the cell bed while Leroy is slumped over in a chair, passed out and snoring.

When Snow sees him walk in with the food, she smiles brightly and says "Good morning, Charming."

David smiles at her before nudging the dwarf awake with his boot. He starts awake and David says, "Hey, your shifts over. Go on home and get some sleep."

The dwarf slowly gets up and stretches as he says, "Thanks boss." before he turns towards Snow, levels a warning glare her way and says, "Later sister, don't you be gettin' any ideas just because it's your husband on watch. No funny business, or it's going to get a lot worse, ya hear?"

As he disappears out the door, Snow sighs a breath of relief, laughs and says, "Finally! I'm so bored that I've been sitting here counting strands of my hair."

"Well unfortunately, there isn't much that I can do besides sit outside of your cell and talk with you. Although I did get permission to let you have a book to read." He says as he pulls a chair up outside of the cell and passes her the book as well as a container of breakfast.

"Seriously?! Charming! Come on, it's me! Can't you at least let me sit out there with you while we eat? I don't even have a table in here!" Snow pleads.

David stares at her for a few seconds as she gives him a pleading look that he can't really resist. He sighs, pulls out his keys and opens the door as he says, "Alright fine. But you have to promise me that you'll behave."

"I promise." Snow says as she wraps her arms around him and gives him a loving kiss that she quickly intensifies.

Davis is so focused on what Snow is doing with her tongue that he doesn't realize that she's backed him into the cell and grabbed ahold of the door. When she has a good grip on the keys, she pushes him away from her with enough force to make him stumble back. She takes a step back and has the door closed and locked before he even has a chance to react.

"Snow!" He yells out in shock.

"I'm sorry Charming... I have to do what's best for our daughter. She's too entrapped in that witch's spell to see through all of her lies!" She yells back as she runs out of the station door, throwing the keys on a desk.

"SNOW!" He yells hopelessly after her, but it's no use, she's already gone.

He hysterically searches his pockets for his cell phone until he remembers that he put it down on his desk along with his gun.

"Shit... Emma's going to kill me!" he mutters to himself as he sits down on the bed praying that Ruby will finish her patrol early.

* * *

**_2:30 pm_**

"Henry...Kid, wake up...C'mon we're here." Emma says, shaking her son awake as they pull up outside of a moderately sized Boston house.

As Henry rubs his eyes and looks out at the house he sleepily asks "Who are we staying with again?"

"You remember when I told you about the one foster home that I actually stayed at for a few years?..." He nods "...Well, this is the house. Cassie, my foster mom at the time, loved kids, but she was only able to have one of her own. So she convinced her asshole husband to become foster parents, which is how I ended up with them when I was about 13. But when I was 16, the douchebag kicked me out because 'they couldn't afford to take care of older kids, we were just too much of a hassle', but that wasn't the real reason."

"What was the real reason?" Henry asks, confusion lacing his voice.

"That kid, isn't really my story to tell. Besides, right now we've got to get inside and start getting ready." Emma says a she climbs out of the car and pops the trunk to pull out their bags.

"Alright." Henry says as he grabs both of their bags from his blonde mother as they walk up the pathway.

They ring the doorbell, and they hear a young women's voice yell, "I'll get it!" from the other side of the door before it flies open to reveal a pretty redhead in her mid-twenties. As soon as she sees Emma, she squeals in excitement and throws herself at the blonde yelling, "Sissy! You're here!"

Emma laughs and smiles brightly at the use of her old nickname as she tries to hold onto the bouncing women. "Hey Lizzy, I've missed you too!"

Lizzy then turns her attention towards Henry. "Is this him?" She asks excitedly, and when the blonde nods, Lizzy squeals again and launches herself at Henry.

"It is so nice to finally meet you Henry! Emma has told us so much about you!"

Henry chuckles, "All good things I hope!"

Both his mother and the redhead laugh before Emma says, "Of course kid!" at the same time that Lizzy practically screeches "Oh My God, Emma! He's just like you!"

All of a sudden a stern voice behind them says "Elizabeth Marie Winters! That isn't yelling I hear in my house is it?!"

All three of them turn towards a doorway that leads into a kitchen, and Henry's jaw practically hits the floor.

Standing there in the doorway is a thin, olive toned woman who resembles his adoptive mother so similarly at a first glance that it leaves Henry speechless. She's even wearing the same style of clothes as his mother, right down to the lack apron she has over top of her blouse and slacks. This woman isn't an exact replica of his mother, but the similarities between the two are enough to freak him out a bit.

Lizzy say, "Sorry Mom!" while Emma walks up and hugs the brunette. "Hey Cassie, it's so good to see you!"

The brunette kisses both of Emma's cheeks and says "You too honey! I've missed you so much! How have you been? How was you're drive?"

"It was great, the kid fell asleep 20 minutes after we left town, so I basically had control over the radio the whole way here!" Emma says proudly before gesturing over to Henry. "Henry, come over here and introduce yourself!"

He shakes himself out of his initial shock and walks over. As he gets closer, he starts to see more differences between his mother and this woman. Cassie is at least 20 years older than his mom, with slightly graying, long brown hair that's pulled into a bun. She also has piercing green eyes instead of brown and is a few inches shorter. All of these small difference help to relieve hie shock as he reaches the two women.

He clears his throat and says, "Hi ma'am, I'm Henry. It's a pleasure to meet you" holding out his hand to shake hers.

The older brunette gives him a firm, very Regina-like, hand shake and says, "The pleasure is all mine Mr. Henry. Please, call me either Cassandra or Cassie, whichever you would prefer" before she turns to Emma with a joking smile and says, "Such a polite young gentleman Emma, he couldn't possibly have learned that from you?"

Henry laughs as his mother scoffs in mock offense before she says "I can't believe you would even ask that! Of course he didn't learn it from me! You can thank Regina for all of that, she's the reason he's such a great kid."

"Ah, yes! This Regina that you're always talking about. Where is she?" Cassie asks, looking around the room to make sure she hadn't missed the woman, "Oh! Don't tell me she's not with you!" she says disappointed.

"I don't talk about her all the time!" Emma says, blushing as Henry laughs at Lizzy nodding her head and mouthing "Yea, she does" behind her."And no, she's not here with us. I didn't think she would want to come, so I didn't ask her. Besides, she's the Mayor, she can't really just up and leave work to go on vacation."

"Yea she can, her assistant Jamie knows how to..." Henry pipes in before Emma nudges him in the ribs with her elbow and he shuts up.

"Oh Emma! How could you possibly know whether or not she would want to come if you did not ask her?!" Cassie scolds her.

"Because I know this woman. Trust me, she wouldn't have wanted to come, she's not a big people person."

The older woman sighs before saying, "Whatever you say, darling. Well...I suppose we had all start to get prepared if we're going to make it to dinner on time. You know what they say, you're not on time unless you're early!"

"My Mom, says that all the time!" Henry pipes in.

"I'm like 99.9% sure that you always made that saying up, Mamita!" Emma says, laughing as she grabs her bag. "Which rooms would you like us to take?"

"Well it never mattered now did it, you never followed that rule anyway." Cassie laughs back before saying "Go ahead and take your old room and put Henry in the spare room next to Elizabeths."

"Okay, will do!" She says as she motions for Henry to follow her up the stairs and down the hallway.

"Alright, here ya go kid!" she says as they reach his designated room. "It's not your mom's mansion, but you should be fine for the weekend."

"Nah, It's great! Thanks Ma." He says as he places his bag down on his bed.

"No problem! If you need me, I'll be in the last room on the right, okay? The bathroom behind the door next to the window."

"Got it!"

Emma kisses him on the forehead before walking down the hall to her old room, she notices that it's hardly changed in the 16 years since she had last slept in it.

All of her old posters and pictures are still hanging on the wall next to all the tests that she had managed to get A's or B's on. Even the bed is the same, covered in the gray and blue comforter that she had picked out all those years ago. The quilt that Cassie had knitted her for her first christmas with them folded up on the back of her desk chair.

The room looked as if no one else had lived in it since she had run away.

"After you left, she couldn't bare to let anyone else use the room. It was the only connection she had left to you after you disappeared." Lizzy says from the doorway as she stands watching Emma absently pet the quilt.

Emma looks sadly up at her as she continues. "When she found out what he'd done to both of us, she kicked him out and got his ass arrested and sent to jail. We tried so hard to find you after that. That whole first year, we would spend every weekend out searching all of your old hangouts and any place we could think of that you might have gone. But when we ran out of places to look, we lost hope and finally had to accept the fact that you were gone and not coming back." She continues as she comes into the room and sits down on the bed next to Emma, reaching for her hand.

"It killed her, Emma. She was so distraught over losing you, the one kid who she had loved like her own, that she never took in anyone else. She just completely shut down. She wasn't the same woman anymore. She stopped eating properly and taking care of herself. She blamed herself for everything that happened to us. She only started to come back to life again after that first time you called us 5 years ago." She says, smiling at the memory.

"It was like a switch had been turned back on inside of her. I'll always be grateful to you for that, Sissy. Grateful that you were brave enough to contact us again, even after all that had happened. You saved her." With that she bends over and kisses Emma temple before standing up and walking across the hall to her own room, closing the door quietly behind her.

Emma stares down at her old, familiar bed as she revels in all of the forgotten memories that the room brings back to her. Everything that she had managed to forget because it hurt too much to remember, everything that she had lost the night that she left.

She's so lost in her memories that she doesn't notice her phone start to light up with calls from David that all go to voicemail. They keep piling up until after the sixth call it stops and her phone goes dark once again.

* * *

**_A/N: I love reviews, they encourage me to write :)_**

**_XoXoX - TheLoveOfApples_**


	3. Chapter 3

Once the yellow bug disappears around the corner, Regina can feel the ever-lingering loneliness creeping back up on her.

She knows that what she's feeling is ridiculous.

The Henry and Emma are only going to be gone for a few days.

It's just that she has finally started to get re-accustomed to the constant noise in her house from both her son and his infuriatingly adorable blonde mother.

And now that they'll be gone for more than a few hours, she's left feeling alone in her empty, quite house once again. It gives her flashbacks to a time when Henry had despised her and to a time when she had seen some of her most difficult days.

She walks over to the top shelf of her closet where she keeps a secret stash of her best cider, and pours herself a very stiff glass before walking over and sitting down on her chaise.

She downs half the glass as she tries to distract herself from these depressing thoughts.

Her mind wanders instead to the...confrontation...that she had had with Emma in the kitchen just minutes ago.

She recalls how the tension had coiled in the air and how she had seen a consuming fire light up within emerald eyes. Heat pools between her hips and the apex of her thighs starts to throb in time with her rapidly accelerating heart rate.

She hadn't actually been serious when she'd teased Emma about "going to fix the problem", but just the memory of tracing her tongue over the sheriffs ear and the resulting breathy moan it had caused, ignited a searing flame within her that she couldn't seem to extinguish.

She can't resist the temptation to run her hands down her body, picturing Emma's hands in their place.

Imagining how the pale fingers would caress her breasts.

Stroking their hardened peaks until she couldn't handle the growing tension.

She would guide Emma's a hand down her stomach and under the delicate lace residing over her drenched folds, and the Sheriff would cover the now neglected nipple with her hot, wet mouth. Sucking on it lightly before gently scraping her teeth around the sensitive bud.

Just as Regina slips two fingers through her dripping heat, she's snapped back to reality by the sharp ringing of her cell phone.

She contemplates just letting it go to voicemail, but the maternal instincts within her override the temptation as the thought that it might be Henry flies to the front of her mind.

She reaches down to the floor, where she had discarded the device earlier, and flips it open without even checking the caller ID.

"Henry?!" she asks in a slight panic.

There's silence on the other end of the line before a tiny voice squeaks out "Madam Mayor...I'm sorry to disturb you on the weekend, but, um, there seems to be some paper work that, uh, needs to be signed and sent back out today..."

Regina lets out a slight breath of relief before growling out a frustrated huff that is somehow a combination of her anger towards her disorganized secretary and of the distracting throbbing in her pants, that she now predicts won't be seen to until later tonight.

"Why am I just now being informed about these forms Jamie?" she says in a disturbingly calm voice.

"Uh, they were, um, lost in the mail and just came in this morning." The girl manages to get out.

The mayor pinches the bridge of her nose before sighing, "Fine. I'll be there in 15 minutes. I expect everything to be prepared for me to bring back to my house by the time I get there. Is that understood?"

"Y-Yes your Majest...uh I mean Madam Mayor, I'm so sorry, I..."the girl frightfully mumbles as Regina hangs upon her. She's pretty sure that the poor girl is still trying to apologize as she ends the call.

She stands up off her lounge and waves her hand to replace her ruined underwear with a fresh pair before walking over to her vanity to quickly check her makeup and flatten down her slightly disheveled hair.

She walks down the hall and into the foyer to collect her purse on her way to the front door.

She pauses before exiting her house to take one last, calming breath before stepping out and walking in the direction of her office.

* * *

After passing a few hours trying to focus on the relatively boring work, she slams her pen down onto the desk in frustrated surrender, after shifting uncomfortably in her chair for the hundredth time.

"God damnit Emma! You aren't even here and yet you're still driving me absolutely insane!" She growls out.

She glares accusingly down at her traitorous crotch.

Letting out a sigh, she stands up and walks out of her study, turning in the direction of the grand staircase, which leads up to her master bathroom suite where her favorite Jacuzzi tub resides. Taking a calming bath has always been her favorite method of sorting through her troubled thoughts and relaxing, and she figures that now's as good a time as any to take one.

Lying in the deep tub of bubbles, awash with candlelight, Regina tries to clear her mind. She slowly sips from a glass of wine and lets the water ease away all the tension from her body. Hoping that one of her greatest pleasures would distract her from all of the thoughts running through her head.

She'd already been soaking for a half hour, as she nurses her glass. Her mind isn't exactly cooperating though.

Flashes of Emma are intermingled with her mothers voice repeating over and over "Love is weakness." A phrase which had been seared into her memory all those years ago after watching her mother kill Dani.

Her mothers voice has her justifying to herself that everything she'd felt between her and the blonde this morning had just been in her imagination and that it really hadn't meant anything. It had just been a slight notch above their typical, back and forth banter.

Nothing unusual about it.

Nothing out of the ordinary.

"Liar." She sighs to herself, sinking deeper into the tub, and watching the way the slick water caressed the curves of her breasts, making her skin shimmer and gleam in the low candlelight.

It had been much more than their usual exchanges.

And _she_ had been the one to initiate it!

Sure, a big part of it had started with her desire to get underneath the blondes skin; she was always so easily riled up.

But, she _might_ have actually enjoyed it far more this time, though she would never admit it out loud. And she _might_ have even been extremely turned on as she had teased the blonde.

_Might?!_ She scoffs to herself, _Since when did you start lying to yourself so much?_

Emma could have been exactly like Snow and half of the people in town. She could blame her "horrible life and all of her past misfortune" on the reformed queen.

But she hadn't. She doesn't.

Last night, Emma had defended her to her own mother, and quite intensely too. She had gotten so riled up that she had punched a _brick wall._

Just thinking about it had Regina shaking her head. She truly doesn't understand the other woman.

Emma is able to make her relax, make her smile, make her laugh until she can't breathe.

She makes all of the brunettes inhibitions and fears disappear, at least, when they are together.

How has the blonde been able to break down her impenetrable walls?

She has no answer.

She only knows that all these hours later, after dealing with endless paperwork and the constant debate going on within her head, she still hasn't been able to forget the way that she had felt when she had been on top of Emma.

She hasn't been able to forget the honesty within emerald eyes as the blonde promised her trust and understanding.

And she definitely has not been able to forget the way that a fire always erupts within her veins whenever their skin makes contact. Even with the smallest of gestures as Emma caressing her cheek with the barest pressure of her fingertips.

_That's not the only place you want her fingers._

No, it most definitely is not.

Seeing a bubble on the puckered tip of her breast, she reaches up and lightly brushes it away, acknowledging, at least here in the privacy of her bathroom, how much she craves the hand on her body to be Emma's.

Her tan fingers are petite as they slide down, beneath the water, gliding across her wet skin.

Emma's beautifully pale fingers are long and strong, and she imagines that they would be deliciously rough from worn-in callouses.

"Mmm...Especially _here_..." she whispers, closing her eyes and leaning her head back against the tub as she touches herself more intimately, moving her fingers through her slick folds.

In her mind, the touch is all Emma's.

And within minutes, the possibilities playing through her mind have her thrusting against her fingers, longing for the touch to be the blondes, but taking the only form of pleasure she can get at the moment.

She gasps and moans at her own touches as she strokes the lips of her soaked sex and the sensitive bundle of nerves at the top of it, wondering how on earth she's gone for so long without the touch of another.

_Not just anyone's touch..._she reminds herself.

No, there is only one pair of hands she wants.

One mouth.

One body.

One face she visualizes as she spirals towards climax.

The tension between her hips builds like a carefully tended fire, before erupting in waves of pleasure that crash through her and have her shaking and gasping for air. Whispering one word. Over and over.

_Her_ name.

_Emma_.

As she floats back to earth and opens her hooded eyes, she catches a glimpse of movement in the doorway through the steamy mirror.

Her eyes automatically lock onto a pair of green eyes, as familiar to her as her own hand.

Her eyes widen a fraction in surprise before a wicked smirk forms on her face.

The woman in the doorway looks frozen between running from the room and charging in.

"Well..Well..Well...I'm curious...Did you enjoy the show _Snow._" She slowly says with a sneer, as she quickly waves her hand to freeze the other woman in place.

"I must say, it was one of my best. I even impressed myself." She continues lazily as she slowly stands up in the tub and stretches overhead like a cat.

She lets out a faint moan as her muscles extend before she steps out of the tub and conjures herself a short, black satin robe.

She imagines the other woman would have a look of disgust on her face had it not been frozen. But Regina refuses to be humble within the confines of her own private bathroom, and she couldn't care less about the shorthaired woman's opinion. She knows her body looks amazing.

"Although, I must admit, it had quite a lot to do with my..._inspiration_." She continues as she sits down gracefully on the side of the tub and gently glides her fingers across the top of the water, smirking.

As Snow comprehends what Regina is insinuating, the fire lights back up in her previously glazed eyes and she tries to lunge towards the brunette sitting on the tub.

But all that she succeeds in doing is moving her eyes back and forth since Regina's magic has paralyzed every last one of her muscles.

"Ah-ha! There she is! The_ feisty_ Snow White that I know. Welcome back, dear." Regina smirks at her.

"As you've obviously noticed, you can't move. But before I have my fun with you, let me try and guess how you got here in the first place, shall I?"

She pauses as if waiting for Snow to respond before continuing, "Hmm...let's see, I'm going to assume that you made some sickeningly sweet promise to that slightly idiotic husband of yours, and he was gullible enough to fall for? I'm assuming he then let you out of your cage, and you preceded to escape so that you could come here to...hmm..let's see...kill me?...for "corrupting" your beloved princess. Am I close, dear?"

Snow just glares at her, until Regina's sure the woman's eyes are going to pop out of her head. She waves her hand at the woman, "Oh very well, speak."

As soon as the spell releases Snows face, she starts off on her mini tantrum "Regina! I SWEAR to gods, if you touch my daughter in ANY way, I will rip your hands from your arms and throw them in the ocean for the fish! If you even THINK about corrupting her with your evil, lesbian temptress ways, you WILL regret it! Immensely. " Snow finishes with a steely glare and she breaths heavily.

Regina just stares at the woman in front of her as the words stop bouncing off of the walls.

After letting Snow stand there in her silent fury for a good minute, R throws her head back and lets out a loud, genuine laugh that makes tears leak from the corners of her eyes and makes her stomach cramp up.

"That was certainly creative, dear. And I give you some props for the glare. But, you need a bit of work on your delivery." She snorts as Snows cheeks turn pink from embarrassment and she struggles all the more to get out of the witches hold.

Regina walks over to the mirror as she gets her laughter under control and leans forward to fix the makeup slightly disrupted by her tears.

Just as she pulls out her mascara, her cell phone rings from on top of the granite counter directly next to Snow.

"Oh! Do be a dear and tell me who that is, would you?" She smirks as she applies a fresh layer of mascara to her lashes, recognizing the obnoxious ringtone that Emma had set in her phone.

When the phone continues to ring and Snow remains mute, Regina glances at her, only to see that the woman's face is as white as a sheet.

"Well, this should certainly be fun." Regina smiles genuinely.

"Let's see just how _corrupt_ your daughter already is, shall we?" The brunette smiles as she strides over to the phone.

"Do be a dear and keep quite, would you?" She laughs and waves her hand yet again to re-establish her spell.

"Hello Miss Swan...You seem to have impeccable timing today. I was just seeing to that little problem that you left me with in the kitchen earlier." She purrs into the phone as she grins wickedly at Snow.

"Perhaps you would like to...assist me in fixing it?" She finishes and puts the phone on speaker for Snow to hear Emma's response.

"Regina! Thank God you're okay! Mary Ma..." The blonde begins before her brain fully processes what the woman on the other end of the line is saying.

"...W-wait..a-are you trying to have phone sex with me right now?" she asks, her voice growing noticeably huskier.

Snow's face turns a frightful shade of green.

"What would you say if I was?" The mayor asks back, her stomach twisting in nervous anticipation for the blonde's answer, even as she keeps a victorious mask on her face.

"Well...I...I think I would have to say that I really have no choice but to assist you in any way that I may be able to, _your majesty_." Emma purrs back as the two brunettes hear the click of a door locking and the distinctive sound of a body settling down on a bed through the other end of the line."

"So Madam Mayor, what are you wearing? Possibly something that I'd be able to run my hands under? I've been dying to caress that deliciously..." At this point, Regina quickly takes the phone off of speaker and brings it back up to her ear.

As the blonde finishes her question, fresh, hot arousal shoots through the brunettes body and she lets out a breathy moan while softly biting her lip.

At this point, Regina's sure that Snow's lack of breathing has caused the women to lose consciousness and she smiles slightly at the sight.

_Serves her right for barging into my house like she owns the damn place._

"As much as I would _thoroughly_ enjoy continuing this with you right now, darling, I'm unfortunately not...unaccompanied...at the moment."

"What do you mean you aren't _unaccompanied_?" she hears the blonde jealously growl, and as much as it makes her heart soar at Emma's possessiveness, she just ignores her and continues.

"And although she's already seen quite a lot more of me than I'm sure she ever wanted to, I would still like to maintain a small semblance of privacy."

There's a pause on the line before the blonde asks "Please tell me that I wasn't just about to have phone sex with you while you're with my mother..."

"Well, if you would like to be technical, you were about to have phone sex with me while on speaker phone, with your mother paralyzed next to me...After she broke into _my_ house I might add, and barged into _my_ private bathroom as I just happened to be fixing my...situation."

Emma made a slight noise between a moan and a groan. "You two are going to be the death of me, aren't you?"

"I certainly hope not, dear. My fun with you is just beginning." She pauses as the blonde lets out another groan.

"Now your mother on the other hand... If you wish her to not yet know about whatever is going on between the two of us, I can swipe this whole thing from her memory when I also erase the unwelcome gawking she was giving me earlier."

"This is fucked up, I can't believe my mother has seen you naked before I have. Uh...Not that I was..um..expecting to or anything..I just..uh... "

"No worries, darling. She won't remember a thing. It should be fairly easy seeing as she's already managed to knock herself unconscious from her lack of breathing." She chuckles.

"Ugh...okay, I'll, uh, call you back in a few minutes. I need to call my dad back and let him know what's going on so that he stops freaking out. Will you be alright with her for a few minutes?"

"Of course. She isn't going anywhere." The brunette smirks evilly.

"Okay, I'll talk to you in a few, bye."

"Goodbye, dear."

She turns back to face the unconscious woman as she hangs up, "Now, lets see what fun I can have with you before your _loving_ husband gets here."

* * *

**_A/N: Sorry for the long wait guys, I had a rough semester and didn't have any time to write. I have a quick question, would you all prefer faster updates with shorter chapters, or a bit of a longer wait with longer chapters? Let me know! :)_**

**_(Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Feedback is always welcome!) _**

**_XoXoXo - TheLoveOfApples_**


	4. Chapter 4

**_A/N:_ I'm so sorry for the wait guys! I've had the worst writers block and I haven't really been able to move past it. I'm still not 100% happy with how this chapter turned out but i'm just going to roll with it, I guess.**

* * *

"I found her!" She breathes with relief into the phone as soon as her father picks up. "She was an idiot and went to confront Regina, _again_."

"Alright, Ruby and I are on our way. I really am sorry Emma, I thought that I could trust her." David mumbles dejectedly.

"I understand, David. I never thought that she would stoop this low either. I guess both of us have learned our lessons. Just make sure it doesn't happen again. I'm not sure how much more Regina can tolerate, and I honestly can't blame her."

"It won't." He assures her back in a steel voice and she can't help but believe him.

"Alright, I've got to go and get some things worked out, keep me updated." Emma tells her father.

"I will. Love you, Em."

"I love you too, Dad." She says as she hangs up.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she takes a deep, calming breath. _What the hell am I going to do now? _

She paces the length of her room for a few minutes before coming to the conclusion that Regina isn't safe in Storybrooke, at least not without Emma there to help protect her.

Making a decision, she sprints down to the kitchen and skids to a stop in front of Cassie, "Hey, I have a bit of a problem."

"What is it, Darling?"

"Sooo..uh..there's been a _situation_ in Storybrooke and I was wondering if it would be okay if Regina came and stayed with us while we're here?"

"What kind of situation?" Cassie questions back, curious as to why her adopted daughter is being so vague.

"Well, um..It's...uh..." Emma murmurs quietly, trying to figure out what to tell her.

"Emma Swan, I know I raised you better than this. Full, articulate sentences, please." The older woman scolds with her eyebrow raised.

"Ughh! Fine! So my..uh..Mary Margaret and Regina have a pretty complicated past and Mary Margaret has been noticing how close the two of us have become and it's basically driving her insane and she keeps threatening Regina and so I threw her in jail while I'm away but she still managed to escape and go after Regina and now I don't trust that it won't happen again and that she'll actually manage to hurt her, not that Regina isn't capable of taking care of herself, because she definitely is, she's one of the strongest and most powerful women I know, but it only takes one time, you know? And I'm just really worried about her and I would feel a lot better if she were here with us where I can keep an eye on her, because..."

"Emma!" Cassie says, snapping her fingers in front of the blonde's frantic eyes, stopping her from having a full on panic attack. "Relax. Take a breath."

As Emma calms down, Cassie grabs her hands and says, "Of course she can stay with us. Any woman that you feel this fiercely about is more than welcome in my house."

Emma lets out a slight breath of relief and sags against the older woman, enveloping her in a tight hug. "Thank you, Mamita!"

"Of course, darling." The woman says back as she kisses Emma's forehead. "Now, go make your arrangements with Regina and start getting ready! You'll need to leave as soon as possible if you're going to make it back to Boston in time to at least make an appearance at the rehearsal dinner!"

The blonde nods before sprinting back out of the kitchen towards her room, hearing Cassie exasperatingly say "And no running!"

As she reaches her room she pulls out her phone and dials the number that she had memorized long ago. It rings twice before she hears, "Hello."

"Hey, so David and Ruby are on their way over now to come get Snow, and then I want you to pack a bag and be ready for me to come pick you up. You're not safe there right now, and I'm really not comfortable with you being there without me." She breathes out as she quickly takes off her shirt and frantically searches through her bag for her curling iron.

"Non-sense, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, Miss Swan. And though I appreciate your concern, I do not need you to protect me." Regina huffs out.

"I know you don't, but I would never be able to live with myself if something happened to you and I wasn't there to protect you. Snow still has a lot of friends, and it only takes one shot you don't sense before you're seriously hurt or k-killed." She says, her voice trembling slightly on the last word.

Regina softens as she hears the raw emotion and frantic worry in the other woman's voice. Her heart skips a beat and a blush creeps up her cheeks as she lets go of her pride and gives in with a sigh. "Very well, darling. If that is what you believe is best, then I will come join you in Boston."

Emma lets out a relieved sigh as Regina continues. "But! I will not allow you to drive all the way back here just to pick me up. I am quite capable of making my way there on my own. You've been talking about this weekend non-stop for the last month, I know how important is to you and I refuse to be the reason that you miss any part of it. I will just drive to where you are staying and wait for you to return."

"Okay, but the drive is a few hours and by the time you get to Boston the dinner will only just be starting. Why don't you meet us there? And then you can just follow us back to the house afterwards."

"Are you sure that's appropriate? I wouldn't want to intrude?" The older woman asks timidly.

"Are you kidding me? Everyone has been dying to meet you!" Emma exclaims excitedly.

"Alright, if you're absolutely positive. Send me the address and I will get ready and leave as soon as your deputies depart."

"Okay, just a sec." Emma says as she pulls the phone away from her face and looks up the address of the hotel where the dinner for that night is being held before copying it into a text and sending it to the brunette.

When she brings the phone back up to her ear she can hear a slight commotion on the other line before a loud, barking laugh erupts from her speaker and practically makes her jump out of her skin.

Before she has a chance to ask Regina who is laughing so loud and why, she hears Ruby wheeze out, "Oh! My! God! What the hell happened to her? She looks like a freaking oompa-loompa!" before she erupts into another fit of laughter.

Emma hears Regina chuckle softly before composing herself and saying in an innocent tone, "I'm sure I have no idea what you're referring to, Miss Lucas. Is this not how Mrs. Blanchard usually dresses while out in public? She looks the same to me."

As Ruby collapses to the floor laughing, Emma can even hear David chuckling slightly in the background.

The werewolf finally collects herself and says, "You know what, she's lucky it isn't any worse. I know I wouldn't ever want to cross you."

Still chuckling, she hauls the unconscious women up into her arms and carries her out to the cruiser.

David nods appreciatively in Regina's direction, knowing very well that the fate of his wife had been in the older woman's hands and that she could have done much worse. He follows Ruby out and Emma hears the car start as it presumably pulls out of the driveway.

There's a quiet moment before Emma says, "I can't believe you turned my mother into an oompa-loompa and didn't tell me."

Regina panics slightly as she asks, "You're not upset, are you?"

"Are you kidding? Of course not! She had it coming, and like Ruby said, she's lucky you didn't do worse! How long will the enchantment last?" She asks chuckling.

Regina lets out a breath of relief she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"Oh, only a few weeks..seven or eight at most." She says with a smirk on her lips. "I have pictures."

Emma erupts into a fit of giggles as she pictures her mother having to walk around town with orange skin and bright green hair for up to two months.

Soon they're both laughing and it takes awhile for them to calm down enough to speak.

"Okay, well I had better go and start getting ready, I'll see you soon. I lo...uhh..Have a safe drive! Bye!" Emma stutters out, trying to cover up what she had almost said.

She prays that Regina hadn't caught her slip up, but the surprised inhale she hears the other woman make, has her fearing that she had.

Regina sits in stunned silence for a few moments, her heart pumping against her rib-cage before she realizes that Emma is still waiting for her to respond.

"Y-you too, dear. Goodbye." She manages to say before hanging up and sinking down onto the stairs next to her, a smile slowly making its way across her face.

She had _definitely_ heard what the blonde was about to let slip out.

_**7:00 pm**_

Emma and Henry casually stroll into the elegant dining area that has been set up for the reception, with Cassie and Lizzy trailing slightly behind them. The blonde looks around in awe and wonders when her childhood friend had gotten so classy. But then quickly realizes that woman's fiancé's blue-blooded background probably has a lot to do with why they're in this ridiculously fancy 5 star hotel instead of at the bar where they would normally be on a Friday night.

It's also why both her and Henry are dressed impeccably in their matching tuxedos.

Her eyes are scanning the room for a mop of curly black hair when she hears an obnoxious Boston-Italian accent yell from across the room, "No freaking way! Emma Swan?!" as a tan man dressed in a suit comes jogging up to her and envelopes her in a crushing hug, lifting her feet off of the floor.

She chuckles and hugs the man back, "Hey Frankie!"

"I can't believe my eyes right now! What are you doing here?!" He asks her excitedly.

"What? Did you actually think I'd miss the wedding of one of my closest childhood friends?" She asks him in mock offense.

"Well no one's heard from you since you moved to that tiny little town in the middle of nowhere, we were all beginning to think you must've fallen off the edge of the earth."

"That's not exactly true, little brother." A husky voice replies from behind Frankie and he turns around to face a tall, curly haired brunette walking up to them with her arm around the waist of a petite blonde woman.

"Are you telling me that you've been talking to this shit-head and you didn't bother to mention it to anyone?!" He asks her exasperatedly.

The woman laughs as she smirks and says "Yep!"

"Oh, you're lucky it's the night before your wedding or else I'd be forced to kick your ass right here!" He says, opting for a light slap to her arm instead.

She scoffs and says "Oh please! I'd love to see you try!"

Emma clears her throat softly to re-gain their attention, as she holds up her hands "Children, please. Enough with the dick measuring! We all know that mine is the biggest!" Frankie and the woman shoot her glares before all three break out in laughter.

Emma walks up to the brunette and tightly embraces her. "I've missed you, Janie."

"I've missed you too, Em. It's been way too long."

They continue to hug for a few more second before separating and discretely wiping away their tears.

Emma steps back next to her son and lays a hand on his shoulder. "Henry, I'd like you to meet Jane and Frankie Rizzoli, two of my best friends since before I was your age. And this is Jane's fiancée, Maura."

Frankie and Maura both say hello and shake his hand while Jane gives him a hug and says "Its nice to finally meet you, Henry. I've heard a lot about you. I hope that you won't be too bored with all of the adult crap going on this weekend."

"No Ma'am, my mother is Mayor so I'm used to attending events like this, I actually enjoy them, but thank you for your concern." He says politely in return.

"You've got an exceptional son, Emma." Maura tells the other blonde warmly.

"Thanks, but I really can't take much credit for that, if I had raised him he'd probably be more like Frankie over here." She says with a chuckle and she elbows the man lightly in the ribs.

"Hey!" Frankie yells out in mock-offense. "There's nothing wrong with me!"

"Ha! Yea okay, tell that to the ketchup stain you managed to get on your shirt before we even got here!" Jane laughs.

"But yea, anyway, Regina, his adoptive mother is who deserves all of the credit, she did an amazing job." Emma continues, not noticing the hush that falls over the crowd as a pair of heels can be heard making their way up the tile hallway leading into the ballroom.

Everyone in the room, including the group of people surrounding Emma, has their eyes glued on something behind the blonde, so she turns around and her jaw drops open as she sees the stunning brunette hesitating at the entrance of the hall.

"Who is _that_?!" Jane asks softly as the room erupts into quiet murmurs of appreciation and jealousy.

But Emma doesn't hear the question as she continues to stare at the woman she hardly recognizes.

She can't seem to take her eyes off of the brunette as they roam from the woman's perfectly coiled hair, across her smoky eyes and sculpted red lips, before falling down to appreciate six inch stilettos's paired with a form fitting black dress that has gold lace running up the sides, across her shoulders and down into the deep v-neck that exposes perfectly tanned cleavage.

"Ma, you're drooling." Henry says as he casually walks past her and up to the woman, offering her his elbow.

As the pair regally walk back towards the small group surrounding Emma, she quickly closes her mouth and swallows thickly, shaking her head slightly to try and regain function of her brain.

Emma clears her head enough to stop openly gawking before she smiles widely at the woman walking towards her. She steps up to meet her son and his other mother just before they are able to reach where her friends and family are standing.

"Regina...you look..._wow._" Emma says breathlessly as she looks the woman up and down before she nervously rubs at the back of her neck.

Regina blushes slightly at the compliment as she replies with one of her own, her eyes slowly roaming up the younger woman's body. "Thank you Emma, I could say the same for you. I'm not sure I know any words worthy of describing how beautiful you look in this moment."

It's Emma's turn to blush as she quietly says "Thank you." Before getting lost in the heated chocolate gaze staring at her.

"Ew! _Hello_?! Your 15 year old son is standing _right _here!" Henry says disgustedly which causes the bubble between the two women to pop. As they mentally shake themselves out of a stupor and notice that every pair of eyes in the room is glued to their interaction.

There's an awkward silence before Lizzy unashamedly asks, "So are you going to just stand there all night gawking at each other or are we finally going to get to meet this woman that you're always gushing about?"

* * *

**_A/N:_ I reviewed this a few times, but i'm only human, so shoot me a PM if you find any mistakes and i'll come back and fix them! As always, shoot me a review and let me know what you thought! :) **


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